In the Feb. 2015 edition of the Racing Pigeon Digest there is an unusual political article. Most articles I have read regarding pigeons and politics are in regards to the history of pigeons used for communication in war. Last year during Syria’s civil conflicts, an article and Youtube video showed the activist in Syria using pigeons to communicate as a result of telephone communication being lost in heavy shelling raids. The latest article was of a very different tone. This article reported that pigeon breeders were being killed by religious extremist for devoting time to their hobby of pigeon keeping. Up to 15 Iraqi men and boys were kidnapped, some of which were executed for what ISIS considers a crime. The ones who survived paid ransoms to be released. ISIS declared that keeping and breeding pigeons is “not following the real Islam” and is a habit that takes away from the worshiping of Allah. Some religious clerics have issued “fatwas” against bird breeders because they care for their pigeons at roughly the same time that devout Muslims hold their first daily prayers. One fancier reported that ISIS took the fanciers to be “judged according to Islamic Sharia.” It was also reported that their pigeons were placed in sacks and burned to death.
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